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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cue — for pool
  9. season — in sport
  10. degree — from a university
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. saw — the tool
  13. season — of the year
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cue — a hint
  17. degree — temperature
  18. cue — a signal
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. cold — an illness
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. degree — an amount
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com